Mobile handsets have become ubiquitous in many industrialized nations. Many people carry and use mobile handsets. Additionally, many of those users upgrade mobile handsets often. For many, especially younger users, the mobile handset that they carry makes a fashion statement. Many users want new “cool” phones with new “cool” features.
With that in mind it is becoming increasingly important for mobile handset manufacturers to be able to develop mobile handsets quickly. Additionally, and possibly more importantly, it is becoming important to be able to upgrade mobile handsets quickly and efficiently.
As stated above, many users want new, exciting features and are willing to upgrade mobile handsets to get it. If a manufacturer can make a mobile handset that can be efficiently upgraded it may be less likely that a user will change mobile handsets to a competitors product. Additionally, a user may chose that manufacturers product if they know that new features can be added latter.
Many mobile handsets have needed to be upgraded by returning to a store or sending back to the manufacturer. This is an expensive and annoying way to upgrade a mobile handset.
While some methods of over-the-air software download exist, many require data calls that are intrusive for the user. It is advantageous to use ways of upgrading mobile handsets that is invisible to the user. In some cases the upgrade would be made without the user having to request the upgrade. In other cases a user may request a particular upgrade, but if a way could be found that did not use a data call then the users mobile handset would not be unusable while in the data call.
In addition to over the air forms of upgrading software, as stated above, it is important for mobile handset manufacturers to be able to design new mobile handsets quickly. Part of that design process is testing and debugging. If the efficiency of the testing and debugging process can be increased then typically a manufacturer will be able to sell new mobile handsets to the consumer more quickly. Additionally, if the testing and debugging process can be made more efficient a manufacturer may be able to increase the number of different mobile handsets offered while continuing to employ the same number of mobile handset designers. A way to efficiently upgrade mobile handsets, as well as efficiently testing and debugging mobile handsets would be advantageous.